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Journal of Space Flight, v. 2, issue 9, November 1950

Page 5

SILICON AND EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE FORMS
By Francis R. Fears

It is possible then when man sets foot on other worlds he will encounter forms of life of which has no conception. It has often been suggested that the element silicon may have replaced carbon as the basis for the body structure and metabolism of these different forms of life. To exist, life need not be comprehensible relative to terrestrial standards, and the feasibility of such forms cannot be completely ignored. It would seem however that such a replacement is highly improbable.

One has only to study the chemistry of the compounds of carbon and silicon for such a conclusion to be reached and it is such an examination which it is the object of this paper to make.

Both carbon and silicon have a valence of four, but whereas carbon can form long chains by repeated carbon to carbon linkages thus leading to a great diversity of organic compounds, silicon can only form short chains wherein silicon is linked to silicon and as a consequence the complexity of its compounds is greatly reduced. This factor is of great significance when considering the high molecular weight substances which go to build up living matter. The combination of these elements with oxygen should next be studied, for it is the basis of representation as we know it. They both form oxides quite readily with valences both of two and four the latter being the stable forms with which we are concerned. Carbon dioxide is a colorless gas and most essential to life on this planet. It plays an important part in plant metabolism, being converted along with water in the photochemical reactions into complex carbohydrates which furnish food for the higher animals.

Silicon dioxide on the other hand is quite dissimilar in its properties. It is a solid compound melting at a very high temperature; it is extremely stable and does not readily enter into chemical combination with other compounds. Of course some life form may exist at high temperatures, but the complex compounds which are apparently necessary for life, become unstable and break down into simple ones at such temperatures. For this reason life at high temperatures seems improbable.

Elementary chemistry teaches that some simple compounds of silicon and carbon have similar structure, for example the carbonates and silicates. Both can be made to yield the dioxide on heating with dilute acid.

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SILICON AND EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE FORMS By Francis R. Fears It is possible then when man sets foot on other worlds he will encounter forms of life of which has no conception. It has often been suggested that the element silicon may have replaced carbon as the basis for the body structure and metabolism of these different forms of life. To exist, life need not be comprehensible relative to terrestrial standards, and the feasibility of such forms cannot be completely ignored. It would seem however that such a replacement is highly improbable. One has only to study the chemistry of the compounds of carbon and silicon for such a conclusion to be reached and it is such an examination which it is the object of this paper to make. Both carbon and silicon have a valence of four, but whereas carbon can form long chains by repeated carbon to carbon linkages thus leading to a great diversity of organic compounds, silicon can only form short chains wherein silicon is linked to silicon and as a consequence the complexity of its compounds is greatly reduced. This factor is of great significance when considering the high molecular weight substances which go to build up living matter. The combination of these elements with oxygen should next be studied, for it is the basis of representation as we know it. They both form oxides quite readily with valences both of two and four the latter being the stable forms with which we are concerned. Carbon dioxide is a colorless gas and most essential to life on this planet. It plays an important part in plant metabolism, being converted along with water in the photochemical reactions into complex carbohydrates which furnish food for the higher animals. Silicon dioxide on the other hand is quite dissimilar in its properties. It is a solid compound melting at a very high temperature; it is extremely stable and does not readily enter into chemical combination with other compounds. Of course some life form may exist at high temperatures, but the complex compounds which are apparently necessary for life, become unstable and break down into simple ones at such temperatures. For this reason life at high temperatures seems improbable. Elementary chemistry teaches that some simple compounds of silicon and carbon have similar structure, for example the carbonates and silicates. Both can be made to yield the dioxide on heating with dilute acid.